Steppin' Out

Outside of the box, that is.  The same 'ol boring menu box.  I challenged myself to make a new recipe for dinner every night last week.  They were all successful; and I judge that by whether or not my kids will attempt to eat most of their dinner without being threatened.  Thank you Iowa Girl Eats, you inspired me.  Last week turned out to be Thai flavored, while this week was a little more Southwestern.  Semi-planned that way, because how else are you going to use up a bunch of black beans, salsa, guacamole, green onions, or cilantro???  Here's what I've made so far:

*If I got the recipe online, I've linked it to the site*

Thai Fried Quinoa
Farfalle with Kale and Bacon
Turkey, Ham, and Apricot Panini
Thai Tofu Pizza  (I used chicken, ssshhh!)
Chicken Burritos with Cilantro-Lime Rice
Southwestern Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
BLT's with avocado spread instead of mayo
Pork Tenderloin in a soy/ginger marinade

I've also been trying to bring back the simple summer pleasures that I remember from growing up.  This week the kids and I made strawberry Jello.  "It wiggles in my mouth!" according to Aidan.  They devoured a 9x13 pan in two days.  Other snacks include freeze pops, ginger cookies, and banana ice cream.  Seriously, you have to try this.  SO easy.  Peel and slice up a banana or two.  Freeze the slices for an hour or more.  After nap I take them out, pop them into the food processor, and voila!, creamy banana ice cream.  That's all there is to it.  Just bananas!  We also experimented by adding some peanut butter and cocoa powder.  Also delicious.

We're going to the lake with some friends on the 4th of July, and I'm trying to decide what easy, kid friendly recipe to make.  I was thinking of these Brownie Fruit Kebabs....yummy, right?